Tuesday 21 May 2019

The 5 Rs of YouTube Learning

I love a good mnemonic or contraction, initialisation or acronym - it makes the most common sense things sound thought-provoking.  Price (2009) considered the needs of the generation of "millennial" or YouTube students.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

What emerged was a fantastic and alliterative contraction - 5 Rs.

Let me attempt to explain...

The 5 R's stand for:
  • Relevance. It's got to mean something to the student - linking it to the assessment may not be enough, but linking it to their future is a step in the right direction.
  • Rationale. Rules need to be explained - why is the essay only 2,500 words?  What is the tolerance for exceeding the limit?  Why can't I use the good stuff I found on Wikipedia?
  • Relaxed. Flexibility is the key - learning when I'm ready, not when the timetable says I should.
  • Rapport. Approachability of tutors, professors and administrators is very important to today's students.  Do they know that you are human too?
  • Research-based methods. Learning by doing and practical styles of delivery are favoured.
REQUIRED:
Review a course that you have just delivered against the 5Rs.

Ask yourself how the student experience could be improved by tweaking things like:
  • Timetable hours - who on earth learns at a time convenient to administrators?
  • Assessment - is it relevant and practical or is it an exam?
  • The different ways in which you communicate with students - just how available are you?
Now consider why you probably do not take action on any of these things...




REFERENCE: Price, C. (2009). Why Don't My Students Think I'm Groovy? The Teaching Professor,
23 (1), 7.

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